Oklahoma Lawmakers Investigate Cost of Illegal Immigration Amid Conflicting Estimates
Lawmakers in Oklahoma’s House States Powers Committee are looking into how much money illegal immigration costs the state annually. Immigration policy and research organizations have different estimates - meaning lawmakers don’t have a clear sense of how to best legislate around the issue.
Rep. David Hardin called for a House interim study to find out how much Oklahoma taxpayers spend on illegal immigration.
Michael McManus directs research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR — an interest group focused on reducing immigration into the United States.
"FAIR estimates there are 198,000 illegal aliens and their US-born children in Oklahoma. In total, the cost of illegal immigration to Oklahoma taxpayers is $770.9 million a year," said McManus.
FAIR’s website says their methodology conflates the number of unauthorized immigrants in the state with those of unaccompanied minors, holders of certain visas and other temporary legal statuses.
The results show massively inflated numbers compared to groups that have done similar studies using recent census data.
The Migration Policy Institute, for instance, shows the number of foreign-born non-citizens in Oklahoma is closer to 146,000. That includes people with legal permission to be in the country.
Grand Jury Finds Mismanagement of Oklahoma Pandemic Education Funds
A multi-county grand jury finds pervasive mismanagement of millions of dollars in pandemic-era federal education funds. The jury found Oklahoma officials disregarded safeguards in favor of “advancing a political and philosophical agenda.”
The report covers the 2020 Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief, or GEER, fund. The jury found no evidence of criminal action but noted the “indefensible” handling of the funds for two state programs.
The report says Gov. Kevin Stitt let politics get in the way of grant management. Then-superintendent Joy Hofmeister ran the State Department of Education at the time. Instead of allowing OSDE to manage the programs, he turned to more politically aligned non-profits.
The American Federation for Children ran a voucher program that overpaid private schools more than 6 million dollars. Every Kid Counts Oklahoma – then led by now-State Superintendent Ryan Walters – oversaw funding for low-income families’ educational materials. That led to people using funds for unallowable expenses like refrigerators and Christmas trees.
As a remedy, grand jurors suggest mandatory training for federal fund management.
Oklahoma Department of Education Faces Backlash Over Columbus Day Post
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is receiving backlash for an online post celebrating Christopher Columbus.
The department posted a message marking Columbus Day on its social media platforms, saying Columbus’ voyage to the Americas “ultimately discovered the New World.”
The post drew much criticism online, including from Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., who says promoting Columbus Day whitewashes history.
“I think it’s born out of the same weird obsession that that department seems to have with supposed woke ideology, and I think they were looking for an opportunity to spin the false narrative that Columbus was some sort of hero," said Hoskin.
Columbus Day is not recognized by Oklahoma as a state holiday, but it’s celebrated on the second Monday of every October as a federal holiday.
In 2021, the federal government also officially recognized the day as Indigenous People’s Day.
McGirt Pleads No Contest to Sex Offender Registration Violation
The man at the center of the landmark McGirt case is pleading no contest to charges that he failed to register as a sex offender and resided near a playground.
Jimcy McGirt concedes there’s enough evidence to convict him of violating his federal probation for sex offenses against children.
Seminole Nation Judge Greg Bigler agreed to the plea, sentencing McGirt to five years, with all but six months deferred. Upon his release, McGirt will serve a four-and-a-half-year banishment from the Seminole Nation and wear an ankle monitor for his supervised probation.
Prosecutor Tim Brown says justice has been served.
"I wanted to make sure that we can keep track of him. I think that’s going to be a primary component for ensuring the safety of the citizens of Seminole Nation and Seminole County," Brown said.
McGirt’s attorney, Richard O’Carroll says his client acknowledges he made a ‘mistake.’
"Mr. McGirt made a mistake, and he wasn’t aware there was a park there, but he technically violated the law for a short period of time, and he was one day late in reporting," said O'Carroll.
This is the latest development in McGirt’s legal saga. The overturn of his state charges led to the re-affirmation of several tribal reservations in Oklahoma.
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